Cultivator for destroying cotton-boll weevils.



No. 891,224. mums JUNE} 1's, Ismsa W. BL, HINDS. GULTIVATOR FOR DESTROYING COTTON BOLL WEBVILS. APPLICATION FILED, MAR. 18, 1908.

v To all whom it maytoncm. a

Be .it known that. I, WARREN ELMER limbs, a citizen of the United States,,-resi d 1 mg -at.Aubur n;*ijn the county of Lee and 5 State of Alabama, (whose post office address 18 Auburn, the said countyand State,) have invented anew and useful 1m rovement a Cultivator for Destrof ing otton- 'BollflWeevils,v of which the following isa specification. v A

This application is made under the act of, March 3, 1883, chapter143- (22,-. Stat, 625),- and the invention.,;herein described and claimed may be used by :the Government of '45 the United States or any of its oflicers or em- 'plloyees in the prosecution of, work for the overnment, or by any'person in the United States, without t e payment to me of any royalty thereon. 20

Thls Invention relates to cultivators and more es ecially to machines or devices for cultivat g cotton, the object being to provide a comparatively simple, inexpensive and efiicient device for securing the exposure of the major portion of the fallen cotton forms, which may, contain sta es of the weevil, to the heat of the sun. t has been as-" certained that, if the air temperature, as re-.

w corded by ordinary thermometers, exceeds .30

85 degrees F. the tem erature at-the surface of the dry ground in t e direct sunshine will be sufficiently high to be unfavorable to wee- ,vil development with the probability that a considerablepercentage of stages will perish 35 before reaching maturity. If the air temperature reaches 95 de rees'F., then the temperature at the dry so' will. be about 120 degrees F. which is fatal to nearly, if not quite, all Weevil stages within twenty-four hours. At 95 degrees F., air temperature, the temperature on the surface of the soil in the sunshine is about 130 degrees F., and at 100 dgrees F. air temperature, the temperature on theground is about 140 F. The last two mentioned temperatures are fatal to all weevil stages within a few hours, even to those in squares and small bolls which have been freshly icked from the plants so that they 'do not become dry before the weevil stage dies. If the soil is moist at the surface the temperature is greatly reduced, 'so that the temperature in the sunshine does not exceed the air temperature by more than 10 degrees I F. Temperature at the surface of the soil'in the shade of the plants does not exceed the U D OFFICE.

great mortality among the weevils, even at over the, entire space between the rows of the 2 air. temperature by more than degrees F. I

This excess is not suflicient to produce. any

high tem eratures,.e ither ondry soil in the shade of t e plants or in the exposedportions of the paths onwet or moist soil. {1

By. ,use'v of the cultivator hereinafter described and claimed, the condition in which the. soil is left is theoretically and practically perfect. i. Y w

The nature, characteristics and scope of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description takenin. connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof, wherein Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the machine; Fig. 2 is a side perspective view thereof. 1

Referring to the drawing, A represents the draft bar, and a is its complemental loop to receive the bow. Secured to the draft bar at the rear thereof is an arch B to permit the" passage of the debris. The arch is formed by spring framesbb, to the ends of which are secured chains C, D. Thechains diverge to 89 wards the front of the machine wherethey.

are secured tothe front'guard E, having a yoke as F, which asses through a keeper f on the draft bar. T ere are adjustin bars as G disposed intermediate the arch and the front guard, the purpose of which is to tighten the chains. There-are adjusting bars H extending from the front guard rearwardly to a point on the draft .bar where they are ivoted as at I and arranged to be operated by the handles, J, for the purpose of adjust- A slide K ing' the Width of the machine.

governs the opening and closing of the front of the machine.

Byputting the aforesaid described cultivator into ractical operation, the heavy chains attaclied thereto make it ossible to secure a thorough and uniform cu tivationof the surface of the soil for a uniform depth cotton crop, and the machine is so regulated that the said chains pass over the soil very close to the cotton plant, thereby producing an action which induces a-complete moving or f drawing of the fallen cotton forms, that may This method reverses the usual tendency of action of the cultivators in.

' ordinary use, which throw the fallen cotton lant toward wereprevious to the cultivation; The depth of stlrring the soil will vary accordingto its condition, but such depth, in any event, will always be shallow.- Cultivation by the use of said machine will leave an even dust'mulch over the surface of the round about one and one-halfinche's in dept which will serve to prevent the. cracking of the ground and thus etter conserve the moisture. in the soil and promote the growth and fruiting of the cotton plants during the dry seasons.

" Havingdescribed the nature and objects of the invention, I'claimv a 1. In a cultivator, a draft bar, an arch at 4 the rear thereof to ermit the passage of debris, 'afront guar and drag chainsv inter-v posed between the arch and guard.

. 2. Int. cultivator, a draft bar, an arch at the rear thereof to permit the passage of debris, a front guard, drag chalns interposed between the arch and guard, and means for tightening the chains.

3. In a cultivator, a' draft bar, front and rear frames, drag chains supported thereby and diverging toward the front of the machine, means for; tightening the chains and chine. Y r

4. In a cultivator, a draft bar, front and rear frames, drag'chains supported thereby and diverging toward the front of the machine, means for tightening the chains, and pivotal members for regulating the width of the machine.

In testimony whereof I afiix m signature in the presence of two subscribe witnesses.

.' WARREN ELMER HINDS.

Witnesses: R. S. MAoKIN'rosH, P. F. WILLIAMS.

means for regulating the width of the ma- 

